my journal: various subjects, opinionating, CW at times

A few minutes ago I shooed two possums off my patio.

They were bigger than I would've expected, too.

They also didn't quite understand that they could go back down the stairs, at first. *smh*

(You can't just shoot them because of laws against unnecessary gunfire in urban areas...yes, even in free states in the South)

Another thing: they weren't exactly a threat. Possums can bite but they don't pursue people...they're little marsupial scavengers that run around & eat what they can. Frankly, pit bulls & Rottweilers make me far more cautious. So I just ushered them off the patio with a piece of PVC pipe.

@slowdecline48 there are some dogs that are banned in the UK, I think they might be  the ones you mentioned, dogs are scary😰 hairy scarys are also terrifying😱😱

hairy scary= spider

You got it right. The UK has a nationwide ban on all the large-headed short-faced dog breeds. I don't presume to tell foreign governments how to run their countries but to me, breed bans aren't a solution...this is coming from someone who hates pit bulls in general, btw. Mainly because whenever you ban something it immediately becomes attractive to a lot of people--the "Garden of Eden effect". Solid regulation of breeders (esp. for canine genetic health) & maybe licensing requirements for prospective owners seem like more reasonable & practical solutions.

@slowdecline48 😲omg! That thing looks like weird deformed rat😱 I don't care  about gun laws next time shoot it 😱

🤣

You want me to blow them away, with a whole bunch of neighbors within hearing range? In the middle of the night??... 😂 That would wake everyone up within a three-block radius, easily. Great way to make someone call the cops, Lo. It might even get a spot on the local evening news!...that would be my 15 minutes of fame, right there. 🤪

[CW/TW: AN HONEST OPINION ABOUT SOMEONE YOU KNOW]

I will tell it like it is, with no polish on it. If that
bothers you then don't read the following; just
log off & get a cup of hot cocoa or something.

Still here? Okay then...

_____________________

I've decided I am not going to talk to ASilentObserver anymore, because she is just too godd^^ned annoying. (Given the usual gender ratio in the medical & "caring" professions, I'm assuming ASO is female)

She is one of those people who can fracture my patience consistently.

I know she doesn't mean to...she is probably a nice person in real life. As a volunteer on staff, ASO obviously means well. But even though it is not her intent, it is still the effect/consequence. She takes the exact same approach to everyone who responds in whatever thread she posts: the initial formulaic "affirmation(s)" followed by a question based purely on the responder's initial post. No matter who answers, her response is always the same. To me, it feels like talking to a low-grade AI chatbot instead of with a woman (or man, if ASO is a man). Because ASO's basic formula of communication is unfettered by any forethought, she asks truly asinine questions in her responses. I lost patience twice in a row this way.

There are quite a few things in this world that chap my a.s.s....one of them is people who talk &/or act as if they're inadequately programmed robots.

I'm in my late 40's now; over half my life is gone. I don't have all that much time left. So I sure as f**k am not going to waste it on people who cannot keep a decent convo going because they can't be bothered to think before blurting out a response to whatever I post or say.

There is an upside to my experiences with ASO: she helped me to remember a vow I took a few years back...namely, I will not suffer fools unless I have no other option. Life is too short to do otherwise. Indeed, I need to start living by that maxim more consistently.

@slowdecline48 um I don't know what to say, so I'll just give you a hug ❤ squeezes you tightly ❤

@Tinywhisper11 Thanks, dear, I appreciate it...it's just that when I interact with a volunteer or Listener I'd rather (s)he talk to me like a human being, not as if (s)he is a robot & I'm a component on an assembly line the robot needs to work on, then send down the line.

@slowdecline48 dear customer 48 i understand that, but how does it make you feel?🤖

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 you know I thought what made us human is  love and kindness, but it's really pressing all squares that contain busses 🤷

@slowdecline48 and your 15 minutes of fame, is gonna be after you die😁 when I sell all your art😎😁😁 I'll keep some of your art to remember you by of course ❤❤

@Tinywhisper11 If I'm lucky, it would be much more than 15 minutes. That's how you succeed as an artist, see...this is how it works:

You slave away in obscurity (& often in poverty) all your life, unknown by practically everybody. Of course there's the mental derangement, drug problems & general obnoxiousness you inflict on anyone you have a connection with. 😜 So you keep on going like that until you d1e. Then, a few years after your death--usually around 15 to 20--someone discovers your work, publishes it & you become famous worldwide. 😏

@slowdecline48 yep! That's you ❤😁 yaaaaay! You'll go down in history. And I'll be rich 🤑 yaaaay! Us ❤

@slowdecline48 I recently came to this conclusion myself about a few people here. This happens to be one of those people. "It sounds like" yep it does sound like that because that's what I just said. I've been foolish enough to answer the follow up questions and it never gets acknowledged anyway so I won't waste anyone's time anymore.   And the standard reply of you're not alone only serves to remind me that I AM alone. They're just ticking off a box. Because when things get bad and you're really struggling people take a step back.  It used to be better here. There used to be more in depth conversations. Now it's as though they have a word limit. You can write paragraphs to listeners and get one word replies. Or spend most of the time talking about their problems. Or they're passive aggressive which - as much as I hate to use the word triggering - it is. Or they tell you they're not a professional. Does anyone have to be a professional talk to me like a human? 

@mytwistedsoul hugs twisted ❤❤ don't worry your not alone ❤😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 maybe some people want to help but have lost their passion for it🤔🤔 I used to be a number, but I'm a human now🙂 I know you used to feel not human too😥 but hey don't give up, there are some people here who love you and are genuinely good people ❤❤❤gives you a giant tiny hug ❤❤❤❤❤ 

@Tinywhisper11 *gives Tiny a gentle bear hug* 😂 you funny! I do believe you could be right. People can burn out or even get desensitized maybe? You are most definitely a very sweet and kind human ❤️ sometimes I still have moments when I don't 😞

@mytwistedsoul I love you ❤

@Tinywhisper11 Thank you I love you too ❤️ 

@mytwistedsoul Interesting...

I haven't been here as long as a lot of Cupsians, but I suspect a major reason for this pseudo-automation is because CupsLand used to be a smaller community. By now it has surely gained size since five years ago, or even two y.a. Every time I log in, I see two or three names listed in the "just joined!" field. The volunteers only have so many hours in a day like everyone else...most likely, they cannot have in-depth convos with every single respondent due to time constraints. (Not to mention that not everyone here is up for such discussions, but that's a whole other kettle of fish) The volunteers were once part of the community like you & me. Now they're more like a bureaucracy, & are slowly becoming one. I don't like to say it but such a change is inevitable when a population--online or in real life--grows & keeps growing. Communal familiarity can only be maintained under a certain size... I haven't looked into it but that might be what Dunbar's number is about.

But knowing all this does not make some of these people any easier to take. Those automated comments make me like a rattlesnake with a toothpick jammed up its *** vent.

Also - you've caught passive-aggressive flak from Listeners? I've never experienced that, but then I haven't talked to many of them. Have only chatted with four, at most. Now I've narrowed it down to two.

@slowdecline48 kettle of fish haha!😂😂😂😂 that's a new one😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

@Tinywhisper11 It's not new at all, actually...or maybe it is but only to you young'uns. I saw "different kettle of fish" used in print in the mid-2000's, & knew of it long before that.

@slowdecline48 oh ok I get it ❤ it's a prehistoric saying 😁😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 

@slowdecline48 I didn't give that a thought tbh. That it would get so big it couldn't hold that communal familiarity. Kind of sucks

@mytwistedsoul

Your response is food for thought...I had to take a moment after reading it. Seriously.

Then I remembered something I saw a while back. It spoke a basic, unalterable truth to me; maybe it will convey it to you. It is here.

Be as well as you can, & try not to harbor high expectations of humanity at large. My life got easier once I stopped doing that.

(No, Lola, you can't see it. It's a YouRube link. Don't click it...it's for our friend Twisted.)

After working on projects for three hours, I have to lie down. So much laundry to do...

My true credo these days: I'll get to it when I get to it.

I can never predict exactly when that will be.

@slowdecline48 awww bless you ❤ work is hard, but lazy is awsome ❤ if lazy was a Olympic sport I'd come forth, so I don't have to climb the podium! .😂😂😂😂😂

@Tinywhisper11 😄 cute. The thing is, I am not lazy most of the time. If I stop working on something & go lie down, it's because at least one (& maybe more) of my conditions is bothering me enough that either I can't work period, or will do a s***ty job if I keep going. I'm one of those people who believes that once you know how to do something, you do it right or don't do it at all. (Admittedly, this attitude isn't always the best for working with others on a team 😆)

@slowdecline48 I'm not lazy either,  I just haven't been bothered to stand up for a few years now😂😂😂😂😂

are you feeling any better after your nap? 

@Tinywhisper11 I don't think your cut out for working in a team anymore! You would officially strangle the whole team😂😂

@Tinywhisper11 I was...then the sun came up. The pollen count rose with it. 🤧 😒

@slowdecline48 awww sorry sweetie, gives you a hug ❤ me feeling ill and pain too 😞 let's cry together😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 come in join in😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

@Tinywhisper11 Okay, but these days I do most of my "crying" out the other end...  📢💨

@slowdecline48 ohhh! Um... I'll just cry on my own, if you don't mind. Remember I live at fart level ♿

Flakes are an aggravation.

By "flakes" I mean flakey people: those who agree to show up at a given place/time & then don't do it.

More than once, I have found myself waiting for someone & then feeling vaguely foolish for having believed that (s)he would keep his/her/its word.

Such members of Homo nonsapiens worthlesia have always existed but it seems like they're more common than ever, even as there is less of an excuse to act that way than at any time in history. We all have phones now; every phone (that isn't a Jitterbug) has a calendar function, settable alarm, etc. We don't even have to remember when an appointment is anymore--your phone will remember it for you. Long before that, whenever I agreed to meet someone somewhere the only things that kept me from arriving were strictly medical & substantially disruptive (& until the last few years, hardly ever occurred). Short of that, if I tell you that I will show up then I will f***ing show up.

Things like this remind me of why I became a solitary misanthrope, so long ago.

Yes, it's St. Patrick's this weekend. I don't think I'll go out, though...can just as easily drink at home. More cheaply, too.

A thought I had more than once during my time on Instaspam (&, earlier, Faceblech) occurs to me for the first time in a while:

If there's a god out there, please send a mile-wide meteor to Earth. Let the rock hit the planet & wipe out all life, so it is cleansed of all humanity & all suffering.

@slowdecline48 wait! People agree to meet others then dont?? Why??? I don't think I'll ever understand humans. But please God ignore the meteor thing, he didn't mean it ❤😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 not of all of us should be wiped out some of us are nice... There are at least 3 or 4 of us that deserve to be saved. I'm obviously number 1 on that list😁😎

@Tinywhisper11 unfortunately dec your number  5 on that list😂😂😂😂😂 you will be missed ❤😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

@Tinywhisper11 Not too many people would miss me if I disappeared, I think... You? H€ll, you don't even know my real name or what I look like. I could get shot to death tomorrow & you'd never know what happened. No one here would...all you would know is that I suddenly stopped showing up here. Everything else would keep on going the way it was before; the Earth would keep orbiting 'round the Sun. My demise would change nothing.